April 3, 2014

Churches And Cemeteries Have Been Desecrated In Kassab, Syria By US-Turkey-Saudi Arabia Backed Jihadist Terrorists

Photo: An Armenian-American gang member from the L.A. area is fighting in Syria to defend his people against the Jihadist terrorists and foreign mercenaries who are being armed by the CIA, funded by Saudi Arabia, and sheltered by Turkey. Source: Wino Ayee Peeyakan/Facebook. The photo is taken form the LA Weekly article called, "The Mysterious Case of L.A. Gangsters in Syria."

The concerns of Armenian-Americans are strongly shared by a small but
resilient minority of reporters and citizens, particularly those living
in the border towns of Turkey. Although
rarely reported in the mainstream media, Turkish people have protested
the government’s actions in Syria multiple times. Public-opinion surveys
have consistently shown that support by the Turkish public for any military involvement in Syria
is low. Even among Justice and Development Party loyalists, only 32%
are supportive of such action. It would be fair to assess many Turks as
not knowing what really is happening in Kassab as the Twitter and
YouTube bans continue.

The same cannot be said for many Armenian-Americans, as many of them
have relatives in Kassab and the region. Indeed, the crisis hits close
to home for thousands of Angelinos. One of my best students, George
Doctorian, happens to be one of them. He told Al-Monitor, “My
great-uncle was asleep when he was suddenly awoken at 5 a.m. by the
sound of gunshots. His son rushed into the room and told him that their
town was under attack. Their neighbor had a car and they quickly jumped
in and drove to Latakia. They left everything behind — passports, money,
pictures, etc. My great-uncle left without a shirt. Everything they own
has been left behind. They have been trying to get new passports and
documentation, but it is almost impossible due to the ongoing conflict.
My great-uncle believes that if they had waited a little longer to get
their paperwork, they surely would not have made it out in time.”

He added, “Our family back in Kassab fears the worst. Churches have
been destroyed and there are reports that even the cemeteries have been
desecrated. Many reports show that the Turkish government has funded
these rebel groups, primarily Jabat al-Nusra, and this is evidenced by
the fact that these rebels were able to enter Kassab through the Turkish
border."

I hope for Doctorian's commentary to be taken seriously by all
parties. He said, “The events that are occurring in Kassab are horrific
and should not occur in the 21st century, when the international
community stresses the importance of religious freedom and basic human
rights. I would, however, caution Armenians to stop using the word
'genocide' when describing the events that are taking place in Kassab.
The word 'genocide' entails many requirements [in regard to what] was
perpetrated by the Young Turks in the first world war. Using the word
'genocide' [for] the events in Kassab is wrong and does a disservice to
our ancestors who went through the genocide."

It is understandable that the younger generations of Armenians fear
further persecution of their relatives in Syria. It is also
understandable that Armenian youths from different parts of the world
yearn to go to Syria to fight in defense of their relatives. With this
background analysis, news about Los Angeles gang members going to Syria to take up arms in pro-Assad militias is not surprising.